Two Arrested for Assaulting Police Officers and Damaging Official Vehicle in Arinj

Two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting two police officers who were on duty in the village of Arinj. The information was disclosed by the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia.

According to the data collected during the investigation, on August 5 at around 21:30, police officers from the Patrol Service of the Police of the Republic of Armenia, while carrying out their duties on Acharyan Street in the Avan administrative district of Yerevan, heard gunshots and then noticed a Toyota vehicle speeding down the street repeatedly firing shots.

The police followed the vehicle and reached Arinj village, where it was surrounded by about 10-15 young people. The officers requested information about the driver of the vehicle, but the youths pushed and assaulted the police officers, verbally abused them, and prevented them from entering their official vehicle, causing damage to it.

A criminal case has been initiated at the Abovyan investigative department of the Kotayk regional investigative office of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, under Article 297 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism by a group of persons), Article 452 (interference with the legal activities of a public official through violence), and Article 335 (acquiring, selling, possessing, transporting, delivering, or carrying firearms illegally). The two police officers have been recognized as victims.

As a result of the conducted measures, the identities of two participants in the incident were established, who are residents of Arinj village, aged 28 and 32.

During the pre-trial investigation, it was revealed that the shots had been fired from inside the identified Toyota vehicle, which belongs to one of the arrestees, a 28-year-old man. A criminal case has been initiated under Part 3 of Article 297 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism by a group of persons) and was merged with the aforementioned criminal case.

During the examination of the intersection known as “Arinj Arc” on the Sevan-Yerevan highway, more than ten fired cartridges of 9mm caliber and fired projectiles were found, as well as traces of gunfire on the windows of the Euro Motors car showroom nearby. Forensic and forensic ballistic examinations have been scheduled, and searches have been conducted.

Based on the collected evidence, charges were brought against the 28-year-old under Part 3 of Article 297 (hooliganism by a group of persons), Part 1 of Article 335 (acquiring, selling, possessing, transporting, delivering, or carrying firearms illegally), and Part 3 of Article 452 (interference with the legal activities of a public official through violence). The 32-year-old man was charged under Part 1 of Article 297 and Part 3 of Article 452. Motions for their detention as a preventive measure have been submitted to the court and were granted. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and measures are being taken to identify and locate all participants in the incident.